Author: chicagoinquirer

by Jenna Fryer CHARLOTTE, N.C.  — Retired NBA great Michael Jordan took the stand at the landmark NASCAR antitrust case and testified Friday that he has been a fan of the stock car series since he was a child but felt he had little choice but to sue to force changes in a business model he sees shortchanging teams and drivers risking their lives to keep the sport going. Jordan testified before a packed courtroom for an hour. His celebrity drew quips from the judge and even a defense attorney as he outlined why the team he co-owns, 23XI, had…

by Aamer Madhani, Chinedu Asadu and Ruth Alonga BY AAMER MADHANI, CHINEDU ASADU AND WASHINGTON  — President Donald Trump praised the leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda for their courage as they signed onto a deal on Thursday aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Congo and opening the region’s critical mineral reserves to the U.S. government and American companies. The moment offered Trump — who has repeatedly and with a measure of exaggerationboasted of brokering peace in some of the world’s most entrenched conflicts — another chance to tout himself as a dealmaker extraordinaire on the…

by Mike Balsamo and Steve Karnowski MINNEAPOLIS — Federal authorities are preparing a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota that would primarily focus on Somali immigrants living unlawfully in the U.S., according to a person familiar with the planning. The move comes as President Donald Trump again on Tuesday escalated rhetoricabout Minnesota’s sizable Somali community, saying he did not want immigrants from the east African country in the U.S. because “they contribute nothing.” The enforcement operation could begin in the coming days and is expected to focus on the Minneapolis–St. Paul area and people with final orders of deportation, the…

ALGIERS, Algeria  — African leaders pushed Sunday to have colonial-era crimes recognized, criminalized and addressed through reparations. At a conference in Algiers, diplomats and leaders convened to advance an African Union resolution passed at a meeting earlier this year calling for justice and reparations for victims of colonialism. In his opening speech, Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf said Algeria’s experience under French rule underscored the need to seek compensation and reclaim stolen property. A legal framework, he added, would ensure restitution is seen as “neither a gift nor a favor.” “Africa is entitled to demand the official and explicit recognition…

by Associated Press A major snowstorm in the Midwest and Great Lakes brought winter to some Thanksgiving travelers, and forecasters said the northeast U.S. could get its own early winter storm next week. Winter storm warnings and advisories extended from Montana to Ohio, the National Weather Service said. Forecasters warned there could be airport delays and slowed traffic with snow falling at more than an inch (2.5 centimeters) per hour in some areas. The storm dumped more than 8 inches (20 centimeters) of snow on northern Iowa by Saturday morning, and at least that much was expected in Chicago, elsewhere…

by Dan Gelston PHILADELPHIA — After beating the Eagles on the Super Bowl champions’ home turf, it was time for rookie Bears coach Ben Johnson to bare arms. Oh, and go bare-chested. Johnson tore off his shirt inside a jubilant locker room and flexed like a professional wrestler as the victorious Bears danced, hollered and chanted in a circle around him. “Good, better, best. Never let it rest till your good gets better and your better gets best,” the Bears and Johnson shouted. One of the surprise teams in the NFL, the Bears had every reason to go wild following…

by Alanna Durkin Richer and Gary Fields WASHINGTON  — Two West Virginia National Guard members who deployed to the nation’s capital were shot Wednesday afternoon just blocks from the White House in a brazen act of violence that the mayor described as a targeted attack. FBI Director Kash Patel and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said they were hospitalized in critical condition. The rare shooting of National Guard members, on the day before Thanksgiving, comes as the presence of the troops in the nation’s capital and other cities around the country has been a flashpoint issue for months, fueling court fights…

by Assana Sambu and Mark Banchereau BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau  — The West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS said it is suspending Guinea-Bissau from its decision-making bodies after the military seized power in the country on Wednesday, three days after national elections. The body said in a statement late Thursday it has decided “to suspend Guinea-Bissau from all ECOWAS decision-making bodies until the restoration of full and effective constitutional order in the country.” ECOWAS said it also “reserves the right to use all options” allowed under its rules, “including sanctions on all entities deemed culpable of disrupting the electoral and democratic…

by Nicole Winfield VATICAN CITY — The Vatican on Tuesday doubled down on the value of monogamous marriage between a man and woman, responding to concerns raised by African bishops about the practice of polygamy in their flocks. The document from the Vatican’s doctrine office said the Catholic Church had a well-documented position upholding the indissolubility of marriage as a lifelong union between spouses. But it said the church’s position on the unique and exclusive nature of a monogamous marriage was less well known. In recent years at Vatican meetings of bishops, African delegates have regularly complained that polygamy is…

by Curtis Eye, Sal Christ, LUENA RODRIGUEZ-Feo, Vileira Carley Petesch President Donald Trump is bestowing ceremonial pardons on two turkeys before flying to his private Florida resort on Tuesday to celebrate Thanksgiving. The holiday interlude comes during what has been a turbulent and uncertain chapter of his second term. The turkey pardon, bestowed this year to birds Waddle and Gobble, is a presidential tradition dating back decades. But Thanksgiving may not provide Trump with much political respite after Democrats won sweeping victories in New Jersey, Virginia and elsewhere earlier this month. In Washington, the president faces the possibility of a…